How Foreign Policy Shapes Music Around the World

It was once common for Ukrainian pop stars to hold concerts in Russia and sing in the Russian language. But as Oleksandra Povoroznyk wrote in February, that changed after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Not only did Ukrainian musicians cut ties with Russia, but some also formed a new subgenre of music, “Bayraktar-core,” which boosted morale in the early stages of the war.

It was once common for Ukrainian pop stars to hold concerts in Russia and sing in the Russian language. But as Oleksandra Povoroznyk wrote in February, that changed after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Not only did Ukrainian musicians cut ties with Russia, but some also formed a new subgenre of music, “Bayraktar-core,” which boosted morale in the early stages of the war.

From Ukraine to Puerto Rico, international politics has shaped music traditions around the world. In turn, as the life of U.S. jazz legend Duke Ellington attests, music has played a key role in cultural diplomacy. The essays below consider the innumerable and often unexpected places where foreign policy and music meet.

Duke Ellington, the Jazz Legend Who Became a Diplomat

The band leader broke new ground in U.S. cultural diplomacy even as he faced racism at home, Larry Tye writes.

Seri/Graph studio illustrations for Foreign Policy

Ukrainian Artists Struggle With War’s Impact

Questions of authenticity and loss hang over new works, Oleksandra Povoroznyk writes.

Bad Bunny performs for the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards broadcast from Yankee Stadium in New York City on Aug. 28.Noam Galai/Getty Images for MTV/Paramount Global

Bad Bunny and the Political History of Reggaeton

The genre is the product of migration, rebirth, and the struggle to be heard, FP’s Catherine Osborn writes.

The conductor’s assistant guides the orchestra during a sound check at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow on Oct. 31, 2011. Alexander Nemenov/AFP via Getty Images

The Last String of Russian Greatness Is About to Snap

A great classical music tradition might die because of the Ukraine invasion, FP’s Elisabeth Braw writes.

Fans of the German band Rammstein line up under portraits of band members prior to a concert at Wankdorf Stadium in Bern, Switzerland, on June 17. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images

Rammstein Is Germany’s Scary New Normal

The band’s continued popularity is a sign of the country’s increasingly right-wing zeitgeist, Paul Hockenos writes.